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Gomorrah

Luke was the only gospel writer to have Jesus remark about remembering Lot’s wife (μνημονεύετε τῆς γυναικὸς Λώτ). This was is a reference to Genesis, chapter 19:26. There Yahweh had rained down on both Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire, so that all who lived in those two towns and the plains around it were destroyed. Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. Luke and Jesus did not elaborate on the circumstances of her death, just remember it as if it was well known. This was quite a striking biblical image, since they were in the plains by the Dead Sea that was also called the Salt Sea. Have you ever looked back with regret?

Luke indicated that Jesus told the 70 disciples with a solemn pronouncement (λέγω ὑμῖν) that it would be more tolerable (ἀνεκτότερον ἔσται) on that judgment day (ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ) for Sodom (ὅτι Σοδόμοις) than for that unwelcoming town (ἢ τῇ πόλει ἐκείνῃ). This was similar to the statement about Sodom and Gomorrah in Matthew, chapter 10:15, where Jesus make a comparison between those places that had rejected the apostles with the famous wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. He compared those non-welcoming towns that had rejected any of the 12 apostles with the famous wicked cities of Genesis, chapter 18:20-19:29, Sodom and Gomorrah. This was a solemn statement that it would be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on judgment day than this town that had rejected his apostles. They had lacked hospitality to the followers of. Jesus, so that they were worse than those terrible cities in Genesis. Here Luke only mentioned Sodom and not Gomorrah. Do you live in a welcoming town?

Equivalent passages to this can be found in Matthew, chapter 10:14, and Luke, chapter 9:5. Mark indicated that Jesus said that if any place (καὶ ὃς ἂν τόπος) would not receive them (μὴ δέξηται ὑμᾶς) or listen to their words (μηδὲ ἀκούσωσιν ὑμῶν), they were to leave that place (ἐκπορευόμενοι ἐκεῖθεν). They should shake off the dust from their feet (ἐκτινάξατε τὸν χοῦν τὸν ὑποκάτω τῶν ποδῶν ὑμῶν), as a witness or testimony against them (εἰς μαρτύριον αὐτοῖς). This indicated that the dust of that house was useless. Some orthodox texts have the statement about Sodom and Gomorrah that was in Matthew, chapter 10:15 that had Jesus make a comparison between the places that had rejected them with the famous wicked cities of Genesis, chapter 18:20-19:29, Sodom and Gomorrah. He said with a solemn statement (ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν) that it would be more tolerable (ἀνεκτότερον ἔσ) for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah (γῇ Σοδόμων καὶ Γομόρρων) on the judgment day (ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως) than this place that rejected his disciples (ἢ τῇ πόλει ἐκείνῃ). They had lacked hospitality to the followers of Jesus, so that they were worse than those terrible cities in Genesis.

There are no equivalent passages in Mark or Luke. However, Matthew has something like this in chapter 11:24. Jesus, via Matthew, made a comparison between the town that had rejected them with the famous wicked cities of Genesis, chapter 18:20-19:29, Sodom and Gomorrah. This was a solemn statement (ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν) that it would be more tolerable (ἀνεκτότερον ἔσ) for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah (γῇ Σοδόμων καὶ Γομόρρων) on the judgment day (ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως) than this town that rejected his disciples (ἢ τῇ πόλει ἐκείνῃ). They had lacked hospitality to the followers of Jesus, so that they were worse than the terrible cities in Genesis.

Yahweh, via Hosea, had second thoughts about the destruction of Israel. How could he give Ephraim up? How could he hand over Israel? He could not make them like Admah and Zeboiim, two of the five cities destroyed with Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis, chapter 19. His heart was compassionate with warm tenderness. He decided not to execute his fierce anger against Ephraim. Yahweh was God, not a mere mortal. He was the Holy One in their midst. He was not going to come in anger.

Yahweh was clear. He was going to make Babylon an abandoned desert. The waters of the land would dry up and leave a drought. It is hard to believe that he meant the Tigris River and the Euphrates River. He wanted their images and idols destroyed. Thus wild animals, hyenas, and ostriches would live in Babylon. No humans would live or settle in Babylon. It would become like the ancient destroyed cites of Sodom and Gomorrah as in Genesis, chapter 19, a desolation.

Yahweh said that Edom would become an object to horror because everyone passing by it would be horrified. They will hiss at it because of the disasters there. Edom would become like the famous cities of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis, chapter 19. Here there is also a mention of their neighboring towns. The same results will happen to Edom. No one would want to live or settle in Edom.